Lubricator



(Nomodel.)

G. W. BROWN.

LUBRIGATOR.

No. 426,764. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

GILMAN IVELD BROWN, OF VEST NEWBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,764, dated April 29, 1890.

Application filed .Tune 10, 1889. Renewed March 28, 1890. Serial No. 345,634. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GILMAN WELD BROWN, of West Newbury, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic lubricators for bearings of shafting, dac.; and it has for its object to provide improved means whereby variations in the temperature of the bearings are caused to regulate the supply of oil to the bearing, so that in case the bearing becomes unduly heated an increased supply of oil will be automatically aiforded.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciication, Figure 1 represent-s a vertical section of my improved lubricator. Fig. 2 represents a section on line/ x of Fig. l.

The same letters of reference indicate th same parts in all the igures.

In the drawings, a represents an oil cup or reservoir composed of glass or other suitable material.

b represents a metallic shank located under the reservoir a and constituting the support thereof, said shank being provided with a screw-threaded lower end b', adapted to be attached to the shaft bearing. The upper end of the shank b may be attached in any suitable way to the cup or reservoir a, the preferred connection being that here shownnamely, a flange c on the shank engaging a shoulder on the bottom of the reservoir, the latter having an aperture, into which the upper end of the shank projects. Within the reservoir i-s a vertical rod or stem cl, the lower end of which is screw-threaded and screwed into a tapped socket in the upper end of the shank, said rod having a flange or collar cl', which presses upon the entire surface of the cup around the margin of the aperture in the bottom thereof, the cup being thus clamped between the flanges c and d.

In the lower portion of the rod cl is formed an outlet-passage e, through which oil escapes from the reservoir.

f represents a valve located Within the shank o and arranged to close against a seat g, formed Within said shank, and thus prevent the flow of oil from the reservoir, oil being permitted to dow when the valve is separated from said seat. The valve is supported by a standard h, which is preferably of tubular form and serves as a conduit for the oil that passes the valve. The standard h is made of different metal from that of which the cup support or shank b is made, said standard and shank having different coefficients ofI expansion. The shank b is preferably made of brass, while the standard h is of iron or some other metal whose rate of expansion and contraction is less than that of the metal of shank b. The standard h is supported by being attached at its lower end to abushingt', inserted in the lower end of the shank b. It will be seen that when the temperature of the bearing is increased beyond a predetermined or normal point the cup-supporting shank b, eX- panding more rapidly than the valve-supporting standard 71., causes a sufficient separation of the seat g from the valve f to increase the iiow of oil beyond the ordinary or normaliiow for which the valve is adjusted, and thereby cause an increased lubricatiomwhich will decrease the temperature, whereupon the contraction of the brass composing the shank b will restore the valve and seat to their normal relation to each other. It will be observed that the parts whereby this automatic regulation is produced are located entirely below the oil-reservoir, so that the oil does not require to beheated before the increased supply can be afforded to the bearing.

I am aware that it is not new to cause the separation of a valve from its seat in a lubricator by an increase of temperature of the bearing with which the lubricator is connected. In Letters PatentNo. 3S2,752,granted to me May l5, 1888, a valve is shown which is supported by a thermostatic or compound bar, the parts of which have different rates of expansion, so that the bar is bent or deflected by an increase in the temperature of thebearing, and is thereby caused to separate the valve and its seat. In the present instance,

however, I do not employ a thermostatic or compound bar, but make the supportb for the cup in one pieceor of one metal, and the support h for the valve of another metal, thus simplifying the construction as compared with that shown in my former patents. I am ICO aware, however, that it has been proposed to produce a result similar to that herein described by the unequal expansion of a cup having a valveseat and a valve support or stem made of a diilerent metal from the cup, as shown in Letters Patent No. 360,243 to Patrick. My present invention differs, however, from that shown in the Patrick patent, in that the parts which produce the automatic regulation of the iiow of oil are entirely outside of the cup or oil-reservior and do not require the heating of the oil as acondition necessary to their operation, while in the construction shown in said patent the entire cup and t-he oil therein must be heated before an increased opening can be created toaord an increased supply of oil. The advantages of my arrangement will therefore be apparent.

The valve f is preferably provided with channels jj for the passage of the oil through the valve. The channel j extends through the body of the valve and terminates in a conical or frusto-conical projection m on the lower side of the valve. Said projection coincides with the sight-openings in the sides of the shank b, so that the oil passing through the valve can be seen as it drips from the passage y', said passage being located exactly over the tubular standard 7L, which supports the valve, so that the oil drops into said tubular standard and iiows therethrough to the bearing. The oil in iiowing through the tubular standard h keeps the temperature of the oil from rising as high as that oi` the valvesupport b, and therefore increases the sensitiveness of the device. The valve is connected with the tubular standard 7L of an internallythreaded collar f, which is screwed upon the threaded upper end of the standard h, and is connected with the body of the valve by bars f2, constituting an open cage, through which the passage of the oil can be readily observed.

The extent of the opening ot the valve by the thermo-dynamic action above described maybe regulated by turning the collar f upon the standard 7L, so as to raise or lower the valve, and thereby decrease or increase the opening formed between the valve and its seat by the expansion of the standard b. To permit this adjustment of the valve, l provide the collar f with a ring p, having an arm or handle q, which projects through one of the said openings in the standard b. The ring p is adjnstably secured to the collar f, so that when it is rotated by the handle q the collar f is turned, and the valve is thereby raised or lowered, as the case may be. rlhe handle q abuts against the side opening in the standard b, through which it projects when moved to one extreme or the other of this movement, said sides constituting stops to limit the rotation of the valve in either direction.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction shown herein, as the same may be variously modified without departing 'from the spirit of my invention. For example, the valve-snpport 71. may be other than of tubular form, and may be outside the cup-support Z),

4instead ot within the same.

Various other changes may be made, such as would naturally suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic.

I claim l. The combination of an oil cup or reservoir and a combined supporting and automatic oil-feed-regulating device therefor, the same consisting of a vertically-arranged metallic shank having an oil-conduit and a valveseat and secured at its upper end to the lower portion of the oil-cup, a valve adapted to cooperate with said seat in regulating the flow of oil through said conduit, and avertica1lyarranged metallic standard supporting said valve,co1nposed of a metal having a different coetiicient ot expansion from that of the shank, said shank and standard being arranged to expand and contract vertically at different rat-es, and thereby .regulate the width of the oil-passage between the said valve and seat, as set forth.

2. The combination ot' an oil cup or reservoir, a vertically expanding and contracting metallic shank secured to the bottom thereof and provided with one or more si gilt-openings, a valve within the shank, adapted to control the discharge of oil and provided with an oildischargc passage terminating in a depression on the lower side ot the valve, said depression coinciding with the sight opening or openings, and a vertically expanding and contracting support for the valve, composed ot a metal whose eoeticient ot expansion differs from that of the reservoir-support, as set forth.

' 3. The combination of an oil-reservoir, a vertically expanding and contracting metallic shank supporting the same, a valve within the shank, adapted to control the discharge of oil from the reservoir, said valve having a screwthreaded collar, and a vertically expanding and contracting standard, as 7L, composed ol' a metal having a different coeilicient of expansion from that of the reservoirsupport, and having a screw-thread engaged with the threaded collarof the valve, whereby the rotation of said collar is caused to adjust the valve vertically, as set forth.

Ll. The combination of an oil-reservoir, a metallic shank supporting the same and provided with a side opening, a valve within the shank, having a screw-threaded collar, and an arm or handle projecting from said collar through the side opening, and a valve-sup porting standard h, having a screw-thread engaged with the threaded collar of the valve, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 22d day of January, A. D. 1885).

GILMAN VVELD BROVN.

Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN, A. D I-lAnnIsoN.

TOC 

